Lewis & Clark College Top Questions

Check out a lot of different schools, and don't worry about money issues. Good schools usually give financial aid, and if not, there are always loans available. Don't worry about debt right now. Just get a good education and have fun. And make friends! While school is fun and all, making friendships is a vital part of your future success.

College will be what you make of it. If you go in looking at what isn't perfect or if you go in looking at what is new and amazing then that is what you'll see and how you'll experience your college Granted, some schools just don't fit but I don't think there is a "soul-mate" of a school out there waiting. There are just a bunch of suitable schools that will allow you to thrive if you try, you just have to find one.

In my experience, students seeking the "right fit" for a college are best advised that whichever campus with whichever social demographics, each community has a good many niches to be filled, and an individual with an open mind won't have trouble finding theirs. In terms of finding a college, considerations such as class size, academic intensity, and the surrounding cities were the most important to me in my search. Once students have matriculated, I think it is important that they do not estimate what kind of experience it will be at their college, because more often than not, they will be disappointed with what they cannot find. Connections with professors and other students, as well as community members, will contribute to an incredible life-building experience. I also think that it is important for a student to try out different balancing acts at different times during their education, for example playing with extracurricular activities and trading off between leadership and membership. I think one of the most dangerous things about college is that a student can lose themselves in the academic or social pursuit without remembering that the environment they are in now will change drastically in the future.

Even a community college could be the right school if it's the school that makes your child happy. The level of classes is important but not as important as the environment in which your child will be learning.

If you can, take a gap year before you start school. Travel, work, live on your own...give yourself time to experience the real world before you start learning about it in academic terms. It will give you a frame of reference for all the information you will be learning over the next four years. Besides, you need a break after all that hard work, right?

College has become a corporate business in America. When looking for colleges, parents and students have the odd feeling that they are customers. This can give prospective students a strange sense of indifference and hopelessness when looking for the school that is right for them. My advice would be to find your own way of combatting this mindset; once college becomes a packaged product, it loses all its life and potential. You will constantly be comparing the 'contents' to the pictures on the package and trying to judge if you are getting your money's worth or not (this is especially true for parents). But the minute you fall into this trap, you become a passive consumer and lose what makes college a life changing experience: the simple fact that wherever you go, it will be your unique contribution to the campus and classroom community that forges your adult consciousness and worldview. In this sense, the only thing College does for you is provide the opportunity to begin to do things for yourself. So don't just pick the flashiest package; find someplace that seems like they need you, and you will be rewarded beyond your dreams.

In order to find the perfect college apply to all sorts of colleges all over the country. Keep your options open! There are so many to choose from if you do not limit yourself at the beginning of the process, you will have more schools once you have been accepted. That way you are more likely to find the school you will fall in love with. Also jump into the activities that the school sets up for you once you get there. It may seem a little dorky but they are actually a great way to get to know a bunch of people and see who you will be able to get along with later. You may not meet the friends you are going to have for the rest of your life but at least you will find someone to go to dinner with. Just keep in mind that all of these people are in the same position you are in and it will be fine.

Let your children go wherever they want, not where you want: wherever they choose is where they will succeed the best...

Students: Make a list of what you want in a college; clubs, activities, majors, everything. Think about everything you might want to do, even if you think you probably won't do it. College should be a place for you to experience everything you want to experience. Colleges are similar in many, many ways, as you will notice after touring a few of them. What it comes down to is the opportunities. Feel the college out, as well, for personality and comfort level, but remember you will probably be able to find like-minded people everywhere. And don't stress!

Definitely visit the colleges and talk to people who love the school and the people who hate it